According to an inscription dated 941, Sembiyan Mahadevi is said to have made an endowment so that a lamp may be kept permanently lit in front of the Shiva deity (perhaps not long after the crystallization of the Chidambaram Nataraja (Natarāja) cult).

She lost all of her power as queen and empress and only wore white which was known as the grief color, setting her self into mourning for the rest of her life.

[10][11][12][13] From an inscription of Parakesarivarman Uttama Chola, we know that a regular śribali ceremony has been arranged at the UmaMahesvarasvamin temple at Konerirajapuram every month on the day of jyeshta, the natal star of the queen: As many as 4,151 kalam of paddy and lands, whose measurements are given in great detail, were provided for, in order to maintain the regular service in the temple, such as..the śribali-ceremony held on the natal star jyeshtha of queen Sembiyan-Madeviyar, feed brahmanas,..[14]Sembiyan Mahadevi was a consummate temple builder[15] and a highly respected patron of the arts.

This highly stylized bronze image is an instance of the blurring of lines between royal and divine portraiture in ancient Indian art.

For instance, when the palm is raised to face the worshiper, it is the gesture of protection (abhaya), while a lowered hand with the fingers pointing downward signifies a promise to grant the devotee's wishes (varada).

The contrapposto pose, known in India as tribhanga, or triple-bent, was a popular stance; it produced a sense of swaying movement, and most images, whether human or divine, are thus poised.